JEFFERSON CITY -- The first piece of legislation passed by the Missouri General Assembly this session rejects a citizen's salary commission recommendation for pay raises for all elected offices and judges. Sponsored by Sen. Chuck Gross, R-St. Charles, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 had to be approved by Feb. 1 or the pay raises would have automatically gone into effect.

The measure was passed unanimously in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

"If our state cannot afford to fully fund education and other vital services, it certainly can't afford to give lawmakers and judges raises," said Sen. Gross. "With this vote, lawmakers sent out a strong message that we are serious about getting our state's spending under control."

In November, the Missouri Citizens Salary Commission on Compensation recommended that all public officials should receive a 5.8 percent pay raise in 2004 and another 5.8 percent pay raise in 2005. The commission also recommended that judges get a pay increase of $6,000 in 2004 and again in 2005.

"There is literally no way that these raises could be justified," Sen. Gross said. "It is absurd to propose that elected officials should receive pay raises when state workers haven't received raises in two years."

Created by voters in 1994, the salary commission meets every two years to recommend salary adjustments for lawmakers, statewide elected officials and judges. Because the constitution requires the rejection be done by resolution, no action is required by the governor.

A House resolution rejecting the pay raises was also approved by the General Assembly.

"I think that it was important to pass this resolution as our first order of business," said Sen. Gross. "We're proving to the people of Missouri that it is no longer business as usual in Jefferson City."